Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling a battery cooling system for a vehicle. More particularly, to a method of controlling a battery cooling system for a vehicle that cools a battery module by using coolant that exchanges heat with a refrigerant and interlocking an air-conditioner and a cooler in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.
Description of Related Art
In general, an air-conditioner for a vehicle includes an air-conditioner system that circulates a refrigerant in order to heat or air-condition the interior of the vehicle.
Such an air-conditioner may maintain a comfortable indoor environment by maintaining an indoor temperature of a vehicle to an appropriate temperature regardless of a temperature change of the outside, and in a process of circulating again a refrigerant that is discharged by driving a compressor to the compressor via a condenser, a receiver drier, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, the air-conditioner heats or air-conditions the interior of the vehicle by heat exchange by the evaporator.
That is, the air-conditioner condenses a high temperature and high pressure of vapor refrigerant that is compressed by a compressor through the condenser in an air-conditioning mode in summer and lowers a temperature and humidity of the interior through evaporation in the evaporator via the receiver drier and the expansion valve.
Nowadays, while interest in energy efficiency and an environment pollution problem increases, development of an environmentally-friendly vehicle that can substantially replace an internal combustion engine vehicle is required, and such an environmentally-friendly vehicle is classified into an electric vehicle that is driven using a fuel cell or electricity as a power source and a hybrid vehicle that is driven using an engine and a battery.
In an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle of such environmentally-friendly vehicles, unlike an air-conditioner of a general vehicle, a separate heater is not used and an air-conditioner that is applied to the environmentally-friendly vehicle is generally referred to as a heat pump system.
Here, an electric vehicle converts chemical reaction energy of oxygen and hydrogen to electrical energy to generate a driving torque, and in this process, thermal energy occurs by a chemical reaction within the fuel cell and it is essential in securing a performance of the fuel cell to effectively remove a generated heat.
Further, a hybrid vehicle generates a driving torque by driving a motor using electricity that is supplied from an electric battery or the fuel cell together with an engine operating with general fuel, and when effectively removing a heat occurring in a fuel cell, a battery, and a motor, a performance of the motor may be secured.
Accordingly, in a conventional hybrid vehicle or electric vehicle, in order to prevent a battery including a motor, an electrical equipment, and a fuel cell from being heated, a battery cooling system together with a cooler and a heat pump system should be formed with a separate close and seal circuit.
Therefore, there is a drawback that a size and weight of a cooling module that is disposed at the front side of the vehicle increase and that a layout of connection pipes that supply a refrigerant or coolant to each of a heat pump system, a cooler, and a battery cooling system at an engine compartment becomes complex.
Further, in order to enable a battery to exhibit an optimal performance, a battery cooling system that warms-up or cools the battery according to a vehicle status is separately provided, and a plurality of valves for connecting with each connection pipe are applied, and noise and vibration due to frequently opening and closing operation of the valves are transferred to the interior of the vehicle and ride comfort is thus deteriorated.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.